HOUSTON — A week after reporting ongoing tensions between Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Houston Mayor John Whitmire, the area's top two leaders have yet to meet.
Now, we're hearing from former Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, someone with firsthand experience working with mayors during crises.
"It's an odd fight," Emmett said.
Past mayors and county judges have either met in person or spoken on the phone within days of coming into office. That's what makes what's playing out so unusual and raises questions about how both leaders will work together in a crisis.
RELATED: 'Don't have time for games': Whitmire responds to Hidalgo's complaint that he won't meet with her
"Whether they sit for lunch or sing kumbaya together, I don't think the public cares about that," Emmett said. "What they do want to see is working together."
Emmett served 12 years as Harris County judge. He's a popular Republican who successfully worked with three democratic mayors -- beginning with Bill White.
"I reached out to him and he also reached out to me," Emmett said.
The two men were the faces who led Houston and Harris County together through Hurricane Ike in 2008.
"When Hurricane Ike came in, for example, I asked Mayor White to be at all our press conferences," Emmett said. "If people remember, we did them jointly and we even alternated who went first."
Eight years later, Emmett and Mayor Sylvester Turner faced Hurricane Harvey as a united front.
"We'd always gotten along," Emmett said. "He knew his role, I knew my role, and we worked together."
Now, Hidalgo has raised concerns about how she and Whitmire will work together after trying to secure a meeting for four months.
"Why would you go public and say the mayor won't meet with me?" Emmett said. "What's the point of that? I don't think that helps anything."
Emmett said it may complicate the relationship even further.
"To me, the only part that matters is not how much they communicate with each other, but how in a time of crisis they communicate to the public and give the same message," Emmett said. "That's what's got to happen."
Joint press conferences aren't a guarantee at this point. For now, Emmett said the good news is both city and county staffs do communicate and plan well in advance of hurricane season. He believes it will all work out in the end.
"I just don't think he thinks he needs to bend over backward to be nice to the county judge for whatever reason," Emmett said. "That does not mean he won't work with her. Mayor Whitmire is a professional. He'll do what needs to be done. It's not for me to say who he should like and not like."
KHOU 11 News also spoke to former Mayor Bill White. He did not comment on the behavior of Hidalgo or Whitmire but did say the relationship is "critical" during a crisis. He recalls speaking with and meeting the county judge within days of taking office. In 2005 after Hurricane Katrina, he said he spoke with Emmett's predecessor, Judge Robert Eckels, for a minimum of an hour a day for at least 100 days after the storm.
Turner opted not to comment on the current administration. Former Mayor Annise Parker did not get back to us.